


you, with your tender offerings

by indestinatus



Category: NCIS
Genre: Canon Compliant, Episode Tag, Episode: s07e10 Faith, F/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:48:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25334908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indestinatus/pseuds/indestinatus
Summary: After giving Delores Bromstead her Christmas present, Tony and Ziva discuss what they're doing for the night.Set directly after the last scene of 7x10.Alternating POV.
Relationships: Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Comments: 31
Kudos: 42





	1. and you, with your tender offerings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [boomerbird10](https://archiveofourown.org/users/boomerbird10/gifts).



> Titles are from the song 'Tender Offerings' by First Aid Kit.

"Any plans for tonight?" 

Her eyes turned to him, but he wasn't looking at her. Tony was rather engrossed on something at his computer, typing away in front of her to finish up with the case paperwork. And because it was Christmas eve, they were the only ones left lingering in the bullpen at this hour.

"Yes," was her reply. She wondered if he'd asked that offhandedly, but if the question meant more, she couldn't see it in his serious face. "Do you?" 

"It's Christmas Eve, Zi-va," he said, and the way he clicked his tongue at her name brought a small smile to her face. "And I'm a DiNozzo. We always have a plan." 

"Does your plan involve Delores Bromstead from Human Resources?" 

That made him look at her just like she'd anticipated, and so Ziva smiled her playful smirk and received a new glint in his eyes in return. 

"You know, even at the end of the movie, the Grinch is still green," Tony said with a smirk. "I wouldn't be surprised if she forgot about my present and decided to suck the remaining Christmas spirit out of this office." 

"I thought you said it lacked some mistletoe."

That made him smile and Ziva couldn't help but smile as well, paperwork already forgotten. 

"Well, I would gladly pass standing under them with Delores Bromstead. She would probably see me as a hot meal ready to be devoured." 

Tony leaned in his chair and crossed his arms, now completely engaged in their conversation. Ziva did the same, leaning over her desk to shorten the distance between them. Because of the time they spent together today, the smell of his cologne still lingered in her mind and made her fidgety. She wondered if she would still have a chance to smell it again up close.

"I thought you of all people wouldn't deny a free kiss," she said.

His eyes gleamed at that. "If it was Scrooge I was supposed to kiss, then I would decline without a second thought." 

"You're too mean to her."

"I just got her the present she always wished for!"

"That doesn't erase your awful comments."

"Well, it doesn't erase her attempts at filing complaints against me, either."

"I really thought tonight would change your impression of her."

Tony smiled his typical grin. "Well, even a nice Grinch scares the children.”

Ziva rolled her eyes. “Why do I even bother?”

“If it was someone else, I'd probably give it a go." 

Ziva was ready to retort but Tony started to smirk in a way that told her he wasn't talking about Delores anymore. The familiar intensity in his eyes gave her a warm feeling at the base of her stomach, and she licked her lips, trying not to think too much of it.

"Probably?" she asked, waiting for a reaction until he just shrugged. "Anyone?" she added.

The air shifted between them, and when his eyes stayed glued on her, she had to sit back on her chair to subdue the growing ache to jump onto him. He licked his bottom lip and she wondered if he saw the way her eyes had followed it.

"Someone," was his reply.

They had reached dangerous territory just like they always did, but something in the low light of the bullpen and the Christmas glow from the tree next to them made it all the more inviting. She watched as he opened and closed his first drawer absentmindedly, and watched as he stopped doing it when he caught her staring. Her eyes jumped back to his and she noticed that somehow the fire in them had increased, a smirk dancing on his lips.

"Even Gibbs?"

Tony let out a surprised laugh that warmed her heart, his head snapping back to the ceiling. Ziva watched his Adam's apple move and crossed her arms to keep herself from doing anything she shouldn’t. 

"Thank you for burning my retinas with that, Santa. I thought I had been a nice boy this year." 

He was still laughing when he looked back at her, and she couldn't help but smile broadly as well. 

"Even the nice boys have a naughty side."

"Can't argue with that." 

The air crackled with electricity, and Ziva wondered if there was anyone in the building that would hear them if she decided to kiss him senseless right then and there. He  _ was _ wearing his shoulder holsters, which always made her question her sanity and lose her focus whenever he wore them at work. She wondered if he knew what it did to her, driving her thoughts wild, especially when it was complemented with the light blue shirt that brought up his eyes so well.

Yes, she was certain her desire was very clear in her face.

It was as good a cue as any that it was time to leave. 

“Where are you going?” Tony asked as soon as she stood up and started gathering her things.

“I have plans,” Ziva replied.

“Oh. I forgot about that.”

Without even looking at him, she could feel that the air was heavy with the things they chose not to talk about. It was better this way, she thought. If she stayed here a minute longer, her actions would certainly lead them into uncharted territory.

“Do your plans involve a hot meal?” Tony asked as he stood up and circled his desk, leaning against it. 

“In a way,” was her reply. 

Ziva tried her best not to make eye contact, gathering her things as her mind roared with the possibilities to which this night could lead. The silence was so loud that she wondered if he could also hear the way her heart pounded inside her chest.

When Tony gave her no answer, she was forced to look back at him, only to catch him already staring. His gaze wasn’t invasive; they always had a way of watching each other for a second too long without it feeling intrusive. She wondered if he was also pondering his next actions. 

Ziva closed the distance between them and saw Tony’s eyes widen almost imperceptibly, looking darker than usual. She also saw the moment they flickered down to her lips, and the thought of mistletoe crossed her mind.

“I think what you did today was very kind,” she confessed. 

Her heart was still racing when she pressed a slow kiss to his right cheek, her hand holding the other one as she did so. His scent was intoxicating, and she smiled to herself when she realized that yes, she somehow had managed to find a way to smell it up close again. 

She was certain he could see the flush on her cheeks from this close, but when she leaned back to meet his eyes again, they weren’t directed at her, but at her lips. 

After a moment of hesitation, she decided it would be best for both of them if she made the first move... and so, Ziva leaned back again and turned away to walk towards the elevator without questioning him further. 

She thought she would get away with it, but as soon as her hand hit the ‘going down’ button, Tony called her name loudly. It made Ziva turn to look back out of reflex. 

If he asked her to stay, or even asked again about her plans, she thought she would give in. She would say yes to anything he wished for, and only think about the consequences later, or maybe never at all. Her heart was still loud in her ears when he spoke once again.

“Merry Christmas,” was all he said.

Ziva tried to ignore the feeling of her heart sinking, and she gave him a small smile that she hoped would conceal that. 

“Merry Christmas, Tony.”

And as the elevator doors closed, she wondered if his plans were anything similar to hers  — a cold shower and a cup of hot tea to calm down her nerves. 


	2. how could I ever do you wrong?

"If it was someone else, I'd probably give it a go." 

Ever since Ziva had mentioned mistletoe, Tony couldn’t stop thinking about having an excuse to finally taste those perfect kiss-me-now lips. Now more than ever, he cursed this building for not having enough Christmas spirit to hang as many of them as they could. 

"Probably?" she asked, her sultry voice doing things to him.

Her caramel skin looked golden tonight from all the Christmas lights, and he couldn’t think straight. He probably took too long to answer, because she spoke again. 

"Anyone?"

Well, Tony thought it was very clear who he was referring to, but the way they danced around each other wasn’t meant to be one hundred percent clear anyway.

"Someone," he found himself saying.

_You._

He could feel the answer he really wanted to give it hanging heavily in the air, but fortunately, his throat closed before he could let out her name.

Gosh, she looked stunning tonight, her dark eyes even more alluring than usual. He wondered if she knew what it did to him, those looks they exchanged during late work nights that constantly drove him crazy. Her eyes flickered to where his hand was fidgeting with his drawer, and Tony halted, heat spreading up his neck as he pondered whether she knew what was inside of it.

"Even Gibbs?"

He couldn’t hide his surprise and barked out a laugh that was so loud it echoed around the empty bullpen. He definitely wasn’t thinking about the options of who he might find under the mistletoe, not when he had only one person in mind. 

And he definitely wasn’t thinking about his boss at the moment.

"Thank you for burning my retinas with that, Santa. I thought I had been a nice boy this year."

He looked back at her to see a smile dancing on her lips, one that made her look younger and even more beautiful. She should smile more, he thought. He wondered if he could come up with enough good jokes to see that smile again before leaving for the night.

"Even the nice boys have a naughty side," said Ziva.

Tony bit back all the replies he had for that comment in the back of his mind, but he couldn’t help but think that Ziva herself was rather naughty, as well… if he remembered the screams from their past nights together correctly. 

"Can't argue with that." 

He was still picturing how good her kiss would feel when she suddenly stood up, breaking the eye contact that made the air pleasantly warm between them.

“Where are you going?” he let out before he could think better of it.

“I have plans,” Ziva replied.

He watched her gathering her things and his heart sank. Yes, they  _ were _ still in the office, after all. And she  _ had _ said she had plans, ones that probably meant much more than throwing banter away to a lost cause.

“Oh. I forgot about that,” Tony admitted, trying to swallow down the growing ache inside his chest.

She was taking her time gathering her things and he wondered if that lingering had something to do with him. But no, he tossed the thought aside right away — because she already  _ had _ plans tonight. He wondered if those plans included someone else.

“Do your plans involve a hot meal?” Tony tried to sound casual as he stood up and circled his desk, leaning against it. 

He needed to know if she had someone else in her life, even if a name would bring him nothing more than another turmoil to chew on and swallow when he was alone at night.

“In a way,” was her guarded reply. 

His heart started racing and he wondered if her ninja hearing skills could catch that in the air. He wondered if she had meant another person or  _ him,  _ or even a literal hot meal, but couldn’t ask her to clarify when he was the one that had asked the question like that in the first place. 

He stopped breathing altogether when she closed the distance between them, her breath so close that it caressed his cheek. She smelled like coconut and he couldn’t look away when she licked her lips before she spoke. 

“I think what you did today was very kind,” she said warmly. 

His heart was pounding inside his chest when she pressed a slow kiss to his right cheek, her thumb caressing his other as she did so. It was so tender that he closed his eyes, leaning towards her touch without thinking.

He felt her lean back to look at him and he opened his eyes, which were instantly pulled to her so-kissable lips. The thought of mistletoe crossed his mind again and Tony wondered if they really needed it after all. 

Then, without warning, Ziva backed away... and when he started thinking of ways to get her back, she was already walking towards the elevator. 

He only realized he had shouted her name when she turned back to look at him with an amused look in her eyes. She probably thought he was doing a great job of a fool like this, suddenly speechless by just a kiss on the cheek.

His mind raced with thoughts that ran over one another, and he tried to decide whether her touch offered a door he was supposed to open. He had bought a present for her after all, but after a week of going back and forth, he had decided it was best if they abided by their rule against exchanging presents.

She also had other plans tonight, which he wasn’t in a position to change. He was still only her coworker, after all, and even if they flirted more than they talked, he wasn’t her man — or, in fact, really  _ any _ man in her life. 

And so Tony swallowed all of his conflicting thoughts and let out one that he was certain she would like.

“Merry Christmas,” he said.

And by the way Ziva smiled in return, he was right.

“Merry Christmas, Tony.”

He watched the elevator doors close and sank in his chair a moment later, running a hand over his face. Would she ever stop making him crazy? Did she even have a clue about how often his thoughts drifted to her?

Tony opened his first drawer for the thousandth time that week and looked at the present he had bought for her, wondering if she would have liked it after all. He let out a huffy breath when he realized there was no use in it for him, other than reminding him of her every time he looked at it. 

He left the bullpen that night wondering what her reaction to his gift would have been, and if he would’ve managed to see that blinding smile again.

But if Ziva put two and two together when she saw the new knife sheath on her desk the next week, she made no comment about it. 

And when a clapboard keychain appeared in Tony’s backpack a couple of days later, neither did he. 


End file.
